Latest news with #January26
The Australian
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
No Big Bash games on Christmas Day or Australia Day
Big Bash officials have once again baulked at putting a match on Christmas Day and will finish the 42-day tournament on the eve of Australia Day. Only a washout of the final will put cricket on January 26. A December 14 start for the tournament has been locked in with a Boxing Day showdown between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars and a 13th consecutive News Year's Eve clash in Adelaide among the fixture highlights. Pakistan star Babar Azam looms as the headline international act this season, with several of his teammates, including speed demon Shaheen Shaf Afridi, joining the playing ranks. An Ashes Test series will rob the Big Bash of the best Australian and English talent until the final two or three weeks of the tournament, which will finish on January 25, with January 26 slotted as a reserve day for the final. Cricket Australia hasn't played on January 26 since 2023 and has refrained from any mention of Australia Day amid concerns from some players, including Indigenous women's star Ash Gardner, about the implications of playing on a day that has different significance among Australians. Christmas Day was also ruled out, meaning the NBL remains the only Australian sport willing to take the plunge on that day. 'With uninterrupted action every night of the regular season and all the marquee games our fans love, this schedule ensures the BBL remains the heartbeat of summer,' Big Bash boss Alastair Dobson said. 'The fan-favourite fixtures, combined with the family-friendly entertainment that makes the Big Bash, has BBL|15 well positioned to build on the success of last summer. 'We were blown away by the quality of overseas talent signed via the BBL draft and can't wait to see these global superstars in action alongside some of Australia's biggest names.' Despite making himself eligible, English pace ace Jofra Archer was overlooked in the BBL draft, with clubs fearful he would be unavailable due to the Ashes. Archer returned to the England squad for the series against India but missed selection in the second Test.
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
The 42-day Big Bash season won't include games on Christmas Day or Australia Day
Big Bash officials have once again baulked at putting a match on Christmas Day and will finish the 42-day tournament on the eve of Australia Day. Only a washout of the final will put cricket on January 26. A December 14 start for the tournament has been locked in with a Boxing Day showdown between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars and a 13th consecutive News Year's Eve clash in Adelaide among the fixture highlights. Pakistan star Babar Azam looms as the headline international act this season, with several of his teammates, including speed demon Shaheen Shaf Afridi, joining the playing ranks. An Ashes Test series will rob the Big Bash of the best Australian and English talent until the final two or three weeks of the tournament, which will finish on January 25, with January 26 slotted as a reserve day for the final. Here it is! Your #BBL15 schedule has landed ðŸ—'ï¸� — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) July 2, 2025 Cricket Australia hasn't played on January 26 since 2023 and has refrained from any mention of Australia Day amid concerns from some players, including Indigenous women's star Ash Gardner, about the implications of playing on a day that has different significance among Australians. Christmas Day was also ruled out, meaning the NBL remains the only Australian sport willing to take the plunge on that day. 'With uninterrupted action every night of the regular season and all the marquee games our fans love, this schedule ensures the BBL remains the heartbeat of summer,' Big Bash boss Alastair Dobson said. 'The fan-favourite fixtures, combined with the family-friendly entertainment that makes the Big Bash, has BBL|15 well positioned to build on the success of last summer. 'We were blown away by the quality of overseas talent signed via the BBL draft and can't wait to see these global superstars in action alongside some of Australia's biggest names.' Despite making himself eligible, English pace ace Jofra Archer was overlooked in the BBL draft, with clubs fearful he would be unavailable due to the Ashes.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aussie cricket bosses make shock decision about the most controversial day on the national calendar - and fans will be furious
Cricket fans across the nation won't see any games played on Australia Day in 2026 - marking the second year in a row the sport's bosses have backed out of holding matches on the public holiday. The Big Bash League will conclude on Sunday, January 25, but there will be no major cricket game on the following day. Cricket Australia has grappled with how to treat the national public holiday after controversially banning the term 'Australia Day' four years ago. Last summer cricket wasn't played on the day because it clashed with the Australian Open tennis - but that won't be the case in 2026. In late 2024, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said that going forward Australia Day will be celebrated and cricket will be played - so it is a surprise that there will be no cricket in 2026. The decision to schedule the Test over the Australia Day weekend in 2024 was itself controversial, with women's all-rounder Ash Gardner previously describing it as a day of 'hurt and mourning'. Gardner found support from men's Test captain Pat Cummins and star batter Steve Smith. Both claimed January 26 is not an appropriate time to celebrate the national holiday, with the date a highly controversial issue due to the landing of the First Fleet from Britain in Australia. Smith formed his view after chatting with teammate Scott Boland, who has Indigenous heritage. However Cricket Australia's attempt to placate such opponents by shying away from acknowledging the national day also angered players who wanted the day celebrated. Former Test player Greg Ritchie was one of those. 'I am quite disappointed to read the Cricket Australia has decided not to use the phrase 'Australia Day' for this Test match,' Ritchie said. 'It will be at the Gabba, which is my home ground, and to have an Australia Day Test there is special.' The stance of the cricketers who support not playing on the day angered some sections of the public, with 3AW Morning host Tom Elliott scathing in his criticism of Cummins. 'He makes me angry,' Elliott said. 'He sits there and pontificates, saying "ah, well Australia Day is a source of hurt for so many people, we have to move the date". 'Hey Pat Cummins, you get paid millions of dollars to pay cricket. If it wasn't for the British settlement of Australia there wouldn't be cricket here. 'So you make money, quite directly, out of the fact we were colonised by the UK.
Time Out
10-06-2025
- Time Out
Here's who gets the most (and least) public holidays in Australia
Ah, public holidays. They go hand-in-hand with long weekends and the sweet, sweet joy of a four-day work week – two things we can easily get around! In Australia, we're lucky to score up to 13 full-day public holidays each year, with the exact number depending on where you live. So which state or territory should you move to if you want to maximise your free days off? Australia currently has nine annual public holidays that are celebrated on the same day nationwide, including New Year's Day, January 26, Good Friday, Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day. But some holidays, like the King's Birthday and Labour Day, vary in date depending on the state or territory. Throw in a few local public holidays, and it becomes clear that some Aussies are getting more sleep-in days than others. The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria both benefit from the most full-day public holidays in Australia, with 13 days off in 2025. The ACT gets two bonus days off for Canberra Day (March 10) and Reconciliation Day (June 2), while Victoria gets the Friday before the AFL Grand Final (September 26) and the Melbourne Cup (November 4). However, if we include part-day public holidays, the Northern Territory and South Australia both also score 13 days off. The Top End gets long weekends for May Day (May 5), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Picnic Day (August 4), plus part-day holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight). Meanwhile, South Australia gets Adelaide Cup Day (March 10), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Labour Day (October 6), plus the same half-day public holidays as the NT. On the flip side, Western Australia and New South Wales have the fewest full-day public holidays, with just eleven each. One of those is the King's Birthday, which most states celebrate on June 9 – except for WA and Queensland. WA pushes its King's Birthday public holiday to the fourth weekend of September to space it out from WA Day on the first Monday in June. This sparked a bit of debate recently, with West Coasters arguing that it doesn't make sense for them to work while the rest of the country is offline. In response, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that he's considering changing the King's Birthday holiday to align with the East Coast. He also revealed that an extra public holiday is on the table. The new public holiday regime could come into play as early as next year, but is more likely to be introduced in 2027. Looks like NSW might need to start rallying for an extra public holiday too! Which state has the most public holidays in Australia? ACT – 13 Victoria – 13 Northern Territory – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days) South Australia – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days) Tasmania – 12 (11 full days + 2 half days) Queensland – 11.5 (11 full days + one half day) NSW – 11 Western Australia – 11 🏖️ How to turn 20 days of annual leave into more than 50 🤔 Find out when Australia's next public holiday is ⭐️ The best long weekend getaways in Australia
